LAST UPDATE | 5 Jun 2020

PEOPLE WILL BE allowed travel anywhere within their own county from Monday as part of the government’s escalated plan to ease Covid-19 restrictions.

The new measure was announced by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at Government Buildings this afternoon, as part of an accelerated version of the government’s roadmap to re-open the country.

Under the new roadmap, Phase Five – originally due to begin on 10 August – has been scrapped and a number of measures have been brought forward.

The second stage of the new roadmap, which is being dubbed “Phase Two plus”, is set to begin next Monday.

From then, members of the public will now be permitted to travel anywhere within their own county, or up to 20km from home, whichever is greater.

Travel across county borders within a 20km radius will be allowed, although the government’s message is still to stay local and avoid unnecessary travel.

It’s planned that all travel restrictions will be scrapped on 29 June.

“Our message today and for the next three weeks is to stay local,” Varadkar said.

“We recognise the difficulty that the travel restrictions are having, especially for people in rural Ireland.”

Sources said the government’s thinking is that some family members live further away than the 20km rule. Modifying the rules will now allow more people visit their loved ones.

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The Taoiseach explained that the distance regulations were unfair on those who lived near coasts or similar areas where it is not possible to travel to, saying measuring by distance limited where they could go.

However, he said that the Garda’s emergency powers to enforce Covid-19 regulations, which have been extended again, would prevent people from travelling within counties.

“If they find that there is a large group of people from Dublin, who are clearly from Dublin because they’re travelling in their D-registered cars, who descend on the beaches in Wexford, they’ll be able to do something about it.”

With reporting from Christina Finn